I Will Follow
by Untimelymanner
Summary: Takes place nearly seven years after the film. Hogarth is 16 (assuming he was 9 in the Iron Giant) and still has faint hopes of the Giant returning. Little does he know, something darker is roaming the earth. And it's searching for the Giant.
1. Someday

**Years Down the Line**

**FLASHBACK…**

**ROCKWELL, MAINE 1957 (EARLY NOVEMBER)**

There was one thing on the Giant's mind.

_Keep Hogarth safe._

He told himself this as he fell out of the sky. He glanced at Hogarth and saw that his eyes were shut tight with fear, the wind tossing his hair every which way. He quickly covered the small boy with his other hand in a vain attempt to keep him safe, just moments before he struck the snow-covered earth.

The Giant turned, tumbled, rolled and the entire time Hogarth was silent._ Keep Hogarth safe. Keep Hogarth safe. Keep Hogarth safe. _ When his metal body finally came to a rest, he opened his own eyes and sighed. He could feel the hit from the jet taking over his body. He was made of iron, but he'd never taken a hit like that. At least not one that he could remember. He needed to rest…

He faced the endless grey sky, and for a moment he just sat there, staring right into.

And then he looked into his left hand, where Hogarth was supposed to be.

He wasn't there. The Giant frantically checked his right hand as well, and found nothing again. He sat up searching desperately for the boy he'd tried to protect from the army's weapons.

And there he was. A trail of pushed aside snow, showing where he had slid from the Giant's hands. He wasn't moving or talking. And horribly enough, it reminded the Giant of the deer they had come across the day before.

_No…_

Carefully, the Giant reached out at Hogarth's unmoving body. His fingers gently prodded at Hogarth's side. Hogarth moved with his hand, but wasn't responding in any independent way at all.

_No! _

"_You… Die?" Giant asked, curiosity in his deep voice._

"_Well yes. Someday." Hogarth responded._

Dead. Hogarth was dead.

The Giant began shaking, realizing the tragedy that was lying right in front of him. He began to make saddened noises and buried his face in his curled up fists.

But just as he started to mourn the loss of his only friend, he felt something powerful hit him in the back.

And then it was no longer a game of running. It was chasing.


	2. Bittersweet 16

**NEARLY SEVEN YEARS LATER…**

**ROCKWELL, MAINE 1964 (LATE SEPTEMBER)**

Today was Hogarth's 16th birthday. A lot of time had passed since he'd last seen the Giant. Nearly seven years, and a lot had changed. Hogarth had earned a few friends by now. All of them were a year older than him, due to him skipping a grade in elementary. But they didn't talk to him until about a month after the incident, which left Hogarth with a lot of time to think.

And be pitied.

That was all he saw for weeks after the Giant left him to save his hometown. People barely spoke to him, and when they did they were apologizing for his "loss."

It was never a loss to him. The Giant was simply misplaced. He'd return soon. Hogarth used to travel outside late at night, his mother or Dean finding him in the still-battered woods near the power station. Usually he would just lay down on the ground at stare up at the trees. But once, he laid down in the forest and was suddenly overwhelmed with tears. He started crying and crying and crying. The Giant was the only friend he ever had. And he was gone now, lost to the stars and unsearchable surfaces of the earth.

That's when Hogarth realized something. It could be years before he ever saw the Giant again. If he ever did, that is. He could be an old man and not remember. He could have a family and not be interested anymore. He could ultimately end up losing the Giant forever, regardless.

"Why can't you just show up?" Hogarth said to wilderness around him. "I need you." He wiped the tears away with his sleeve. "I've always needed you."

He sat up slowly, looking up at the trees. They were still scarred from the Giant's passing through. Hogarth reached up to touch the exposed wood, remembering how scared he was when he first saw the Giant.

"You can't keep doing this, kid."

Hogarth jumped and turned to see Dean standing next to one of the marred trees. He looked tired.

Hogarth looked back up at the tree, frowning and wiping at his face again. "How long have you been here?" His face felt hot; he was embarrassed.

Dean walked over to him and looked with him. "Long enough." He put a hand on Hogarth's shoulder. "Why don't you try staying the night at the junkyard? It would worry your mom less."

Hogarth looked down. Quietly, he said, "It would be easier for him to find me here."

Dean sighed. He had heard this many times before. "Hogarth…" he began.

Hogarth shook off Dean's hand and walked away. "I know. It's stupid." He'd been told by his mother and Dean that would be for the best for him to remember, but not get "caught up in the moment". _What does that even mean?_

Dean frowned following him, "Hey. No. That's not what I meant. It's not stupid. He was your friend."

"He was my only friend." Hogarth answered.

"Ouch." Dean joked, shoving Hogarth gently. "Nice to know I'm here for nothin'."

Hogarth smiled, just ever so slightly. "Pretty much."

Dean smiled back and the two of them looked back up, but this time at the sky. Millions of lights shone down on them, lighting their faces. "I had a dream about him." Dean said in a low voice. "Freaky stuff."

Hogarth lowered his vision back to Dean, his eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

Dean stared down at his hands, saying nothing, as if that would explain it. His mouth opened. Then closed. Finally he was able to say something. "There was just a lot of… Martians. And then the Giant showed up out of nowhere. He said something. I can't remember what it was, but then he just started to fight." He glanced at Hogarth. "He won. It was unbelievable."

Hogarth grinned. "Was I with him? Helping him?"

Dean paused, looking at the happiness in Hogarth's expression. Just minutes before, he was crying, begging the Giant to come back. In all honesty, the Giant was alone in the dream. Hogarth wasn't there. But the kid didn't have to know that. "Yeah. Yeah, you were."

Hogarth grinned even wider, his crooked teeth showing more. He turned back towards the sky. "It's gotta mean something."

Dean quietly patted him on the shoulder. "No doubt about it, kid. Now, let's get you home. Your mother's waiting." It couldn't hurt to give Hogarth just little bit of hope. After all, he'd been through a lot. He needed it.

Hogarth nodded, turning back to Dean. "Alright."

…And now stood Hogarth, looking exactly the same and completely different at the same time. Yes, he still had the same face and adventurous spirit. But he had also learned how to take certain things seriously, along with a few other adjustments that came with being a teenager. His hair had a bit of a shag now, thanks to Dean who defended him every time his mother tried to get him to get it cut.

"He'll look like a hippie if he doesn't trim it!" His mother told Dean.

Dean shrugged it off and said, "What's so bad about hippies?"

And he was now taller than his mom, getting close to Dean's height by now. This also meant he learned how to be a total klutz at the worst times. His voice was deeper and he'd just got over the awkward squeaking and breaking that came along with a new tone over the summer.

He still thought about the Giant. Whether he wanted to or not. He didn't really cry about it anymore. He just remembered.


	3. Alice

**NEARLY SEVEN YEARS LATER…**

**ROCKWELL, MAINE 1964 (LATE SEPTEMBER)**

"Hey, Hogarth, your party still on?"

Hogarth peered out of his locker and found his friend Richard standing next to him. Richard had glasses and freckles and was the first one to talk to him like a normal person after everything went down. Behind him stood the one person that could make Hogarth nervous without a second thought.

Richard's cousin, Alice.

Alice was almost the exact opposite of Richard. Whereas Richard had messy light blonde hair, she had dark brown that was held back with a headband. Richard had dark brown eyes, and Alice had crystal clear blue ones. Richard could be pretty loud at times, Alice only spoke to their close-knit group of friends.

Oh, and Hogarth wanted to go steady with Alice. There was that too.

"Uh. Yeah. Do you know who all is going?" Hogarth replied, catching Alice's eye and quickly looking away. _Keep it together. She'll be gone soon._

"Alan and Kevin for sure. Is Susie going?" Richard asked Alice, turning back.

Alice nodded, "Yeah, she's giving me a ride, along with Evelyn." She looked at Hogarth. "Should we bring anything?"

Hogarth went wide-eyed for a moment. He'd of course talked to Alice before, in a group setting. Never 1-on-1. Hogarth saw Richard smirking out of his peripheral vision.

Well. Almost 1-on-1.

He quickly recovered from his sudden panic. "Nope. Nuh-uh. Just yourselves. Of course. We can't have a party if nobody shows up. That would be weird. So yeah. No. Nothing. Except yourselves. Please." Hogarth babbled.

Alice smiled and said, "Alright. If you insist."

_Oh great, now she probably thinks I'm an idiot that can't keep his trap shut. Just fantastic. I should just stick my head in my locker and keep it there for the next few years._

"Maybe I should bring a big branch. Y'know, just in case somebody decides to get all antsy." Richard shot Hogarth a smug look. He knew that Hogarth liked Alice. He'd known since they were all in the 8th grade, shortly after Alice had moved to Rockwell in the first place.

"_You don't, uh, care do you? It's not weird, right?" Hogarth asked, while they both sat inside the barn. It was the only place where he could get some secure privacy nowadays without leaving his property._

_Richard looked over from his spot on the hay-covered floor. "No, not really. Unless you hurt her or something. In that case, I'd have to." _

_Hogarth got up and began pacing. "I just, I dunno. I like her. A lot. She isn't just pretty, ya know? She's funny and nice and-"_

_Richard made a disgusted face and cut him off. "Please spare me on telling me how hot my cousin is."_

_Hogarth stopped and buried his face in his hands. "Right. Sorry. I'll stop now. Do you want to see if we could go into the forest this time? Dean's home and he'd probably let us."_

_Richard nodded, "Sure, why not."_

Hogarth glared at Richard. "No, a big branch is not necessary." _Unless, you pull one of your little stunts, Rich. _Hogarth added in his head.

Alice glanced back and forth between her cousin and her friend.

The bell rang and kids began to make their way to their first period.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, let's go to class now. Ms. Baines knows you've already been tardy twice this semester, Richard. She'll give you detention."

Richard frowned and now it was Hogarth's turn to smirk as he shut his locker door. "That's right, Richard. Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Oh, shut up Hogarth." Richard said as the three of them shuffled to class.


	4. Different

**THE ENDING OF A LONG AND TREACHEROUS JOURNEY…**

**UNCHARTED WOODS OF MAINE 1964 (LATE SEPTEMBER)**

He makes his way through the trees, all of them looking painstakingly familiar. He's been here before. But it looks so different. Different, but also the same.

He's confused.

He knows where he's going though. He knows that this is the right direction. He doesn't know how he knows. He just does.

All the trees are green this time, a beautifully lush color. Not a single orange leaf in sight. He hasn't ever seen them like this. He's only seen the warm, amber color surrounding him and the boy.

The pain he's been feeling in his gut ever since he crawled up from the frozen tundra shows up again. He remembers the boy. He remembers everything.

He remembers seeing the boy save his life. He remembers sitting with the boy in the woods shortly after. He remembers walking with the boy in his hand. He remembers eating from a junkyard the boy took him to. He remembers the guns, he remembers souls, he remembers becoming what he never wanted to be, he remembers telling the boy goodbye…

He remembers everything except the boy's name.

Nevertheless, he heads in the same direction he has been going in for a very, very long time. The sky darkens overhead, and he continues to remember the boy.

_You're a good guy. Like Superman!_


	5. Watch Yourself, Rich

**ROCKWELL, MAINE 1964 (LATE SEPTEMBER)**

"Mind you, I'll be checking on all of you every now and then alright? And I better not see anything that would disappoint any parents. Including your own. Do you understand, Hogarth?" Annie Hughes said as they waved at the first car to drive up. Dean stood off to the side of the porch, surveying.

Hogarth rolled his eyes. "Yes, ma'am."

His mother smiled and turned to go back inside the house.

Dean leaned away from the rails of the porch, eyeing the passengers of the small Volkswagen. "Okay, which one is the one you like?"

Hogarth immediately blushed. "What?" he blurted.

Dean laughed and said, "Relax, I'm kidding." He looked over at Hogarth and saw his bright red cheeks. His face fell for a moment as he said, "Wait, you really do like one of them?"

Hogarth looked away. "So?"

Dean smiled again, "Okay, which one?"

"Canwejuststopplease?" Hogarth replied as the car parked.

The girls began to file out, Susie first, Alice second, and Evelyn third. Susie waved at them as she made her way up the stairs. "Hello!"

Susie was a red-headed, freckle-ridden, peppy girl. Evelyn was a blonde, pale, shy one. Hogarth sometimes thought that it was odd how two completely different girls could be friends, but decided that it didn't matter after all.

"Hey." Hogarth replied, glancing at Dean uneasily. He was busy watching for more cars, though.

"Hey, Hogarth!" Alice waved as she gave a toothy smiled and linked arms with Evelyn.

Hogarth stood up straighter. "Uh, hi!" he said.

Dean smirked, muttering under his breath. "Oh, that one."

Hogarth tried to ignore Dean's comment and held the front door for the two of them. "We're gonna be in the back yard."

"Alright." Alice replied.

"Feels nice out." Evelyn smiled.

Dean gave a knowing smile to Hogarth. "That it does." He turned his attention back to the distance.

As soon as the girls were ushered inside, Hogarth glared at Dean for what seemed like an eternity. When that didn't get his attention, Hogarth cleared his throat.

Dean didn't budge. "You can't tell me you were planning on keeping this a secret. We knew that this was eventually going to happen. I'm just surprised you haven't hinted at it."

Hogarth made a face and walked over to Dean. "Well, I have experience with keeping secrets."

"Yeah, we know."

It was quiet for a few moments, nothing but the sound of the wilderness around them. Hogarth thought of when he and the Giant were out in the woods, enjoying the scenery.

"You doin' alright?" Dean asked, his question seeming a bit out of place.

Hogarth snapped out of his reminiscent thoughts. "What? Yeah, I'm fine."

His step-father frowned, knowing that everything wasn't 'fine'. "Hogarth, you know you can talk to me, right?"

He nodded in response, "Yeah, I know. But there's nothing to talk about really. I just… Have a crush. That's about it."

In the distance, a truck engine roared, warning the two of them that more guests were on their way.

Hogarth leaned against the porch rails, crossing his arms. He watched for the truck they'd heard. Dean smiled faintly, seeing a bit of himself in the older Hogarth.

* * *

"Kevin's mad. I'll bet you anything." Alan said as he nodded at his friend.

Kevin was hanging around Evelyn, not really talking to her. Just watching mostly.

Richard snorted. "Why? Because she bothered to show up at a party for her friend? We were al friends before they started going steady. He can't expect it to stop just because they split up."

Oh, and that was another reason why Hogarth was afraid to get close to Alice. Although he doubted he'd be as stubborn as Kevin. But, he'd most likely stop talking to Alice, and one awkward broken-up couple was enough for this group of friends.

Alice was standing near Evelyn, and it looked like she was trying to distract her friend from her staring ex. It wasn't exactly working. Evelyn still peered at Kevin in a fidgety manner every so often.

"You plan on doing anything besides this for your birthday, Hogarth?" Alan asked.

Hogarth didn't break his observation when he replied. "No, not really. This is enough."

Richard snickered. "I'm pretty sure that there's something else you'd like to have."

Hogarth circled back to scowl at his friend. _Haven't I been bothered by this enough today? Jeez._ He began going in the direction of his house.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Richard called after him.

"I just need to be alone for awhile." Hogarth grumbled. He swung open the back door and made his way to the front porch.

His mother saw him making his way back through the house and asked, "Hey, shouldn't you be out back?"

Hogarth nodded, but kept walking. "Yeah, I'll be back out there in a bit. I promise."

She frowned. "Alright, if you say so."

~Author's note~

Sorry for re-upload but I noticed a mistake! Also just wanted to say that if you get the whole Alan-Kevin reference, you're awesome :D


	6. Questions

He opened the front door, making sure Dean wasn't still out there (which he wasn't, thankfully). Then he sat on the steps, his hands in his pockets, gazing at the deep green landscape around him. His eyes found the train tracks that the Giant had tried to eat years ago, and felt a pang of sadness.

_He probably wouldn't even recognize me now._ Hogarth mused to himself.

He was startled when the front door opened suddenly. He turned back to see Alice, a look of confusion on her face. She gave a bashful smile. "Sorry if I scared you."

Hogarth shrugged nervously, "Uh, no you're fine. Wanna sit?" He gestured to the step he was sitting on.

Alice nodded, "Alright." She walked over and sat down after smoothing out her skirt. "Having any fun?"

Hogarth exhaled, feeling a bit defeated about all the questions involving the person that was now sitting right next to him. "Tons." He mumbled.

Alice frowned in response. "Doesn't sound like it. What's wrong?"

He cast a gloomy look at Alice. _If only you knew._ "People have just been bothering me about the same thing all day. I'm just sick of it."

Alice laughed lightly, wrapping her arms around her legs as she drew them closer to herself. Hogarth couldn't help but think how endearing the simple motion was. A split second after that thought, and he wanted to hit himself for thinking it while she was with him.

"Oh, I know the feeling. It's only the beginning of the school year and I'm pretty far behind with schoolwork." She glanced at Hogarth before continuing. "I keep getting these headaches and it's just too much of an effort to do that kind of stuff while I have one, you know? My mom keeps telling me to-" She abruptly stopped and looked straight ahead. "Um. It's not that important. Nevermind. I'm just behind."

Hogarth realized that she was about to say something that she didn't want him to know. He was tempted to just go along with it and nod, but he was curious now. "No, what is it? I promise I won't tell anyone."

Alice's attention snapped back to him and she drew her eyebrows together in an apprehensive way. She shut her eyes and let go of her legs, crossing them instead. "Okay. I guess if you promise not to tell a soul about what I'm about to tell you." She opened her right eye, glancing at Hogarth. "Especially Richard."

"I promise." Hogarth assured her.

She shut her eye and sighed. "Alright. Well. I need, um, glasses. I have a pair, but I look ridiculous with them on and Richard already has them and he's my cousin and I'm sure that people at school would just get a kick out of that. And I can't see anything up close all that good, which means I get a headache from looking at books all day because I don't wear them. My mom always gets onto me about it, but I just don't like them at all."

Hogarth smiled, trying to imagine her with glasses. "I don't think you'd look bad. And if it would help you with school, then why not?"

She tilted her head, allowing some of her hair to spill over her shoulder. It partially hid her face, but Hogarth could still see her smile. "Thanks." Alice replied.

"No problem." Hogarth told her, smiling himself and looking back out at his far-reaching yard. In his mind, he was imagining the Giant stomping through the trees, just as he did long ago. He missed his first friend dearly; it was painfully obvious to himself as well. But he hadn't felt like this in a long time. _What am I even feeling right now?_

"Can I ask a few questions? If it's not too much or…"

Hogarth looked back at Alice to see a concerned and confused look on her face. "Uh. Yeah, sure. What is it?"

Alice tucked her hair back behind her ear, knotting her fingers together afterwards in a nervous fashion. "Um, what was the Giant like?"

He was so taken aback that he physically jerked backwards, his face twisting into an open frown. "The Giant?" he blurted.

Alice immediately looked away, embarrassed by Hogarth's somewhat harsh reaction. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be quiet now. We don't have to talk about that."

Hogarth's face fell, and a second later he was smacking himself in the forehead, eyes shut in frustration. "Oh, God. No. That's not what I – I didn't mean to, uh, wig out. Jeez. Um, It's just… People haven't really asked me about it that kind of stuff lately. At least not directly." He sighed, his eyes still shut. He remembered the night when Dean found him in the woods after he'd had a breakdown. "Man, it's been years I think."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Alice leaned forward now, slowly. In the back of her mind, she was afraid of running off Hogarth with her curiosity of the Giant. "Again, we don't have to talk about it."

Hogarth smirked, opening his eyes now. "You can stop apologizing now. I'm not mad. I'm… reflecting, I guess. I'll tell you everything, Alice."

Alice brought her legs back up again, like they were when she first showed up on the porch. She was preparing herself for a story. "Alright." She said quietly.

It was quiet for a moment as Hogarth propped one of his knees higher up on the steps. He smiled faintly, gazing at the forest in the distance. "It'll be seven years in November. Has Richard at least told you anything about it? I mean you weren't here when all of this happened, but he was."

Alice shook her head, even though he only glanced at her. "Yes, but that's not what I want to hear right now. I want to hear you."

Hogarth shrugged, "Well, alright. I… was pretty lonely. Not gonna lie. That was the year I skipped a grade, so I was an easy target for being picked on. My dad died over a year before so my mom and I were still trying to kinda get over it. Although you never really get over it."

There was a pause.

Alice caught it and whispered. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Hogarth frowned a bit. "It's alright. After all he's in a much better place now. And I have Dean, so…" He bit his lip before continuing. "Anyhow, there was a hurricane. And during the hurricane, somebody saw something fall from the sky. People were saying it was an invader from Mars, y'know. The next day, that same something ate my antenna. I didn't know it at the time, but I kinda figured. So I went into the forest to try and find it, and suddenly this giant metal thing came out of nowhere when I finally made it to the Power Station. And then it started to eat metal and I just stood there like I didn't know what to do. Well, because I didn't. Sure, I was up for the adventure, but really? I wasn't really expecting to find anything I guess."

"Bit off more than you can chew." Alice commented.

Hogarth nodded. "Exactly. And then after it was done with the metal, it started to go after some of the electrical stuff. It shocked him, pushed him into the power lines, and started to shock him. That was pretty horrifying. He was yelling and I almost left because I was still scared. But I ended up turning around to help him and I… I shut off the power switch. The shocking stopped and I decided to do some exploring, because it also shut off the Giant too. At least that's what I thought. He came back to life and I ran." He looked over at Alice now to see if she was following.

She stared back him with an interested look on her face. "I would've ran the second I saw him. Good thing you stuck around." She told him.

Hogarth smiled again. "Yeah… Yeah, good thing. But, uh, long story short: he saw me shut it off, followed me around, and I gladly accepted him. He was my first best friend. And I still think it's God's will that brought him to me. I got to know Dean because of the Giant. I got to realize the value of life and death… And I got to have a friend for once." He looked at Alice right in the eye, and for once wasn't nervous. _I just told her a lot of things I haven't even mentioned to anyone outside of my family in years. Even Richard hasn't asked about it in a long time._

She looked right back at him, feeling her cheeks warm a bit. She debated for a moment saying what she wanted to next. "Do you ever think he'll come back? I mean I heard about the bolt."

"Screw. It was a screw for his jaw. And I… I don't really know. I used to wait for him, but I guess…" Hogarth was suddenly overwhelmed with grief at his new realization. "I guess I gave up on it."

Alice frowned, her eyebrows lowering in the sadness she felt. "I don't blame you." She said quietly.

Hogarth noticed then, more subconsciously than anything, that he was pretty close to Alice's own face. _I could kiss her if I wanted. _He thought absently. Almost by instinct, not by choice, he began to lean in slightly not quite shutting his eyes yet…

**CRACK!**

Hogarth jerked away, startled by the loud noise. He gave Alice a look of confusion, which she returned immediately, before turning around in the direction it came from. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, is someone hunting or something? It sounded like a gunshot." Alice replied, her voice low.

Hogarth shook his head, his eyes squinting. "No, they never get this close to the edge of the woods." He stood slowly, the same look on his face as he studied the land around him. Alice stood next to him, leaning a bit against him. An idea occurred to him, one that was bound to get him and Alice some more alone time. _Talking to her isn't so bad. Maybe I could make something out of this situation…_ He grinned and turned to Alice. "Wanna go check it out?"


	7. I Find

Alice furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head. "What?"

"C'mon it'll be an adventure!" Hogarth replied excitedly. He took Alice's hand and began to lead her off the porch.

She didn't hesitate to follow, but her response blatantly showed how she felt. "But what if it's dangerous? Or we get lost? Or we get hurt? And won't your parents notice you not being at your own birthday party?"

"There's nothing in these woods, aside from a few stray deer. I know my way around the forest. We won't get hurt if we just look out for stuff." Hogarth shot a glance back at his house, seeing his cluster of friends in the backyard. No one was looking at him and Alice as they made their way to the forest. His mother or Dean would've been outside, calling them back in if they'd seen them by now. "And I don't think anybody will notice us not being there for a few minutes."

Alice gripped his hand tighter for a second, biting her lip. She looked back at the house, then at Hogarth. "Okay, then."

* * *

The air is filled with sound. Wind, insects getting used to the nearing transition of summer to fall, the stomping of his own feet.

It's almost nighttime now. He can't wait another night. He's waited too long, fought too much, rested too little.

"Following." He says to himself in a deep, breath-taken tone. He has to stop. He just has to. He stands with and above the trees, looking over the forest floor. He remembers a night almost like this one, watching the boy disappear. He almost died that very same night. A treacherous, painful death.

He remembers that, but still struggles with his name.

This frustrates him and he frowns, wanting to see the small boy again. He knows the boy will be happy to see him. He can hear his much higher voice beckoning to him in the beginning and imagines it doing the same now.

"_Giant!" _

He hears it over and over again until it fades out, leaving him with the noisy and lonely atmosphere around him.

"I find." He says, looking down at his feet. He begins to move again, slowly, cautiously. "I… Find."

* * *

"It's already dark outside, Hogarth." Alice said worriedly. She let go of Hogarth's hand when they first made it into the woods, and now twists her long hair in her hands nervously. "We need to go back soon." She jumped as a bug flew by her head, gasping. "Okay, we need to head back _now_."

Hogarth smiled, grabbing her arm gently. "We will, just give me a few minutes."

Alice sighed, letting go of her hair and grabbing Hogarth's arm back. "You said that a few minutes ago."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just haven't done this in a few months and I'd like to see what's going on out here."

"It's okay. Just hurry up and reminisce. I don't like bugs." Alice replied, looking at the trees.

Hogarth reached down for her hand again. Alice automatically held it, not fully paying attention to the gesture. They were both scanning the trees, looking for entirely different things. Alice was searching for any monsters that might jump out and horrify them, and Hogarth was simply looking for the horribly damaged trunks of trees.

They made their way to the back woods of his house by walking through the woods on the left side of his house. It was a long walk, but totally worth it. Although, they were losing a lot of light. The sky was already a dark blue; purple and pink on the edges of the horizon.

Hogarth narrowed his eyes, trying to pick out the shapes of the trees. He walked over to the tree line, lifted his palm up, and felt the tree. He frowned when he realized that there weren't any defiant grooves in the side of it and lowered his hand. "They've gotta be back here somewhere." He whispered as he started to move to the back of the forest.

"What exactly are we looking for, Hogarth?"

"Trees."

Alice laughed uneasily. "Um. They're everywhere."

"No, no. Not these ones. Special ones. Torn up ones…" His voice drifted as he lifted his hand up again, allowing it to skin across the bark of the trees he passed.

Suddenly, Alice stopped. Hogarth turned to face her, a questioning look on his face. She looked back with a look that could almost be described as remorse. "What's wrong?" Hogarth asked.

She sighed before quietly saying his name. "Hogarth."

He let go of her hand and crossed his arms. "What?"

"I just… This isn't right. Or okay. Or good in any way."

"What do you mean?"

"Look I know you what you're trying to do right now. I shouldn't have asked you what I did earlier. I'm sorry. I need to go back."

"Wait, what? You think this is about the Giant?"

Alice's face went blank. "It's not?"

_Oh God, now I have to tell her that I just wanted to be alone with her longer._ Hogarth turned his head, trying to avoid looking Alice in the eye. "I, uh, just guess I wanted to y'know talk some more."

Now a smirk was turning up in Alice's face. "You want to talk-"

**CRACK!**

They both jumped and Alice let out a small scream. "Oh my God, what was that?"

"Hell if I know." Hogarth muttered, shaking a bit.

They stood there for another moment. Alice quickly walked over to Hogarth, grabbed his arm, and began to drag him backwards. "C'mon we need to leave. Right now. This is enough."

**THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.**

The ground shook with each thud, making Alice's grip tighter. "What's going on?"

He held onto her. "Earthquake?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "We live in Maine. Now c'mon let's go!"

**THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.**

"_I go! You stay. No following!"_

Hogarth froze.

"Hogarth? Hogarth, come on!" Alice pleaded as the thumping got louder.

"_It would be easier for him to find me out here."_

"He's back." Hogarth whispered. Alice let go of him in confusion, and Hogarth shook off her arms. For a moment he stood still. Then he started to walk.

**THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.**

_He's here. That's the only explanation._

"GIANT! GIANT, I'M HERE!" Hogarth yelled as he broke into a run. He ran almost blindly through the ruined woods.

The thumping got continually louder. He didn't remember it being that loud. But, he still kept running.

"GIANT!" He yelled again.

The trees gave way then, and Hogarth revealed himself to the power station. He stopped, spinning where he did. "GIANT!"

That's when he noticed the thumping had stopped.

Hogarth was out of breath as he rounded himself over and over, searching for his first friend. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

It was completely silent.

Hogarth stopped spinning and finally caught his breath. He realized then what he'd been feeling earlier. It had been hope for the Giant's return. He knew that now that he saw nothing in their meeting place.

"Giant, I'm right here." He whispered to himself. "Where did you go?" He sank to his knees, feeling the full effect of disappointment. He buried his head in his hands.

_I should've known better. There's no way he could be back. He was blown up. I just got a remnant. I have to face facts._

**THUMP! THUMP!**

Hogarth's head snapped up, shock coursing throughout him. He saw trees split faintly in the glowing blue light of the power station.

_No way._


	8. It's Me

Out of the tree line, the Giant himself peered out into the clearing, his white eyes scanning the ground.

It was him. It really was. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't a hallucination. The Giant really stood before him.

"Oh my God!" Hogarth said, standing back up. "GIANT!" He started to run again, feeling teary-eyed as he did so.

He'd waited almost seven years for this moment, and as Hogarth ran it began to feel less and less like actuality.

The Giant looked down, casting light on and around him. He watched the tall, human boy make his way towards him, wondering who it was that approached him so excitedly.

Hogarth stopped right in front of him, falling to his knees again. But this time for an entirely different reason. "You came back!"

The Giant stared down at him, a look of misunderstanding on his metal face. "Back…" He replied.

Hogarth's face fell as he remembered that he looked almost completely different now.

_It's been seven years, Hogarth. You aren't nine anymore._

"You don't remember me?" He asked, out of breath again.

The Giant tilted his head.

_Of course you don't._

Hogarth stood once more and pointed at himself. "It's me. Hogarth. Remember?"

"_It's me! Hogarth, remember? It's bad to kill… Guns kill… You don't have to be a gun. You are who you choose to be."_

The Giant shook his head at the sudden memory. The boy! This was the boy! But he didn't look… right. He more resembled than looked like the young boy that had saved his life and befriended him so long ago.

But he had a name now.

"Hooogarrrth." The Giant said, crouching down and offering his hand.

Hogarth grinned and ran up to his hand, climbing into his palm. Just as the Giant was about to lift him into the air, he heard something.

"Hogarth!"

Hogarth gasped and turned back around. "Oh my God, I forgot about Alice." He muttered.

"Where did you go? _Hogarth?"_

_Oh, man. What do I do? _

The Giant peered down at him curiously. He was wondering what that other noise was. It sounded like Hogarth, but then again it was completely different.

Hogarth looked back up, opening his mouth to explain.

"Hogar- Oh my God! What…!" Alice now made her way out of the forest, standing in the glow of the power station. Her mouth and eyes were wide with surprise as she stared at Hogarth and then the Giant. "There's no… How did he… What…" She said, pressing her hand over her mouth. She began backing up. "OhmyGodHogarthwhatisthis." She said quickly.


	9. Real

"Uh. This is the Giant." Hogarth said, slowly crawling back out of the Giant's hand. "Alice, meet the Giant. Giant meet Alice." He said, gesturing back and forth between the two. He walked behind Alice, put his hands on her shoulders, and began gently pushing her towards the Giant. "C'mon, don't be shy."

"H-Hogarth, we need to go back. People will wonder where we are. They'll come back here. We need to leave. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Will you hush?" Hogarth said, smiling a bit even though she couldn't see. "It's not like the Giant is some secret now. He hasn't been for awhile." He looked up at his enormous friend. "And he won't bite." He whispered.

Alice began resisting once they got within 30 feet of the Giant's still-lowered hand. She pushed her hair out of her face and finally stopped, causing Hogarth to go around her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh my- He's just. So… So…"

"Big?" Hogarth suggested, grinning.

"_Real._"

Hogarth made a face, looking Alice straight in the eye. "I thought Richard told you about him."

"Well, for me that's as real as it got. He was just a story then. But now he's… here. Real." Alice repeated, staring up at the Giant, her eyes still wide as ever. She pursed her lips, tipping her eyebrows. Slowly, she stepped away from Hogarth.

"Alice?"

"Sh. I'm figuring this out."

"Figuring this out? What?"

"I don't know, it just feels like something needs to figured out."

Hogarth raised an eyebrow as she took each step. _Well, she's interested now. Just don't know in what sense._

"What are you doing here?" Alice whispered to herself. She continued to walk towards the Giant, who watched her patiently.

Hogarth began to follow close behind, resting his hand on her shoulder once again. "He found me. I knew he would."

She jerked to face Hogarth again, her eyes wide. "We need to go back."

Hogarth's face twisted in confusion as he looked back and forth between Alice and the Giant. "_What?_"

Alice frowned and gestured to the Giant, "Do you really want everyone to see him yet?"

Now it was Hogarth's turn to frown. Of course he wanted to. But… Not now. Definitely not now. Everyone would have the same reaction, even Dean and his mom. They'd all be full to the brim with questions- some that not even Hogarth could answer, even though he was the boy that found and saved the Giant many years ago. It would be too much.

He looked back up at the Giant, who turned his head questioningly. "Hogarth." The Giant said simply. He obviously had no idea what was going on between Hogarth and Alice, but the look on the Giant's metal face gave away that he knew it for sure involved him.

Hogarth walked forward, and once again the Giant offered his hand on the ground. "I'm sorry, but I have to go again Giant. I can't stay tonight." Hogarth told him, reaching forward and resting his hand on one of the Giant's fingers. "I'll come back tomorrow, I promise."

The Giant continued to look at him with confusion. This time though, he was silent. He truly didn't understand what was going on.

_Oh God, am I going to have to say what I know he understands? Last time it could've meant forever._

"Hogarth?" Alice asked, and he shut his eyes in response, allowing his hand to slip off the Giant's hand.

He walked a couple of steps away, shoulders hunched in temporary defeat. Then he turned to face his oldest and most unusual friend. "I have to go. Do you remember what that means?"

The Giant blinked.

Hogarth sighed, crossing his arms. "God, I really don't want to say this." He muttered to himself. "I go." He started, pointing to the near-black forest. "You… stay."

The Giant suddenly had a look of shock on his face, his eye's completely wide and his jaw unhinged. "Hogarth?" He said again, reaching out further.

"Giant, no." Hogarth told him, sternly.

Alice stood back for a moment, wondering what to do. This obviously wasn't going to be an easy goodbye and she felt like she was intruding by just standing there, hearing it all.

"I'll be waiting." She said quietly, not waiting for a response when she turned and headed in the direction she'd come from earlier.

Hogarth ignored her, subconsciously reminding himself to apologize later, and finally said the very words he dreaded on that late November day almost 7 years ago:

"No following."

The Giant stared at him for a moment, the shutters in his eyes slanting downward. Then his jaw lowered, much resembling a frown. "Ho…garth…" He said quietly, reaching back out at Hogarth almost desperately.

"No, I have to go. Right now. I promise I'll come back tomorrow. This is the last time I'll leave you like this." Hogarth told him, finding himself now close to tears. _It's been too long. And it isn't fair._ "I promise." He repeated, backing away with his hands in front of himself.

Hogarth continued backing away, keeping his eyes on the Giant. He couldn't bear to look away, even though he really wanted to. The look on the Giant's face was pure disappointment and sadness. _I hope I can make it up to him._ Once he got to the treeline, he knew he had to turn back around. The Giant did too and began to stand before he saw his friend's older face disappear, only for him to be faced with a dark silhouette of a tall teenager, grabbing the hand of the girl who looked at him with cautious eyes.

"I stay." The Giant's voice boomed across the power station.

Hogarth paused for a moment, and Alice looked back at him. She caught a glimpse of the Giant as he watched them depart. Her heart fell and she gently prodded Hogarth forward, only able to guess the pain he was feeling now.

After a few minutes of trekking through the now-black woods, hoping to hit home by going in the exact direction they'd come from, Hogarth said very quietly, "I go."


	10. Understand

Of course Hogarth was bombarded with questions once they arrived back at the party.

They'd been gone for an hour and a half, and found Dean waiting for them on the porch.

"You're mother's worried sick about you, kid." Then he looked over at Alice.

Hogarth held his breath, expecting Dean to say something disciplinary.

But instead Dean just smiled and said, "He didn't get you into too much trouble did he? Your friends are waiting in the living room."

She slipped her hand out of Hogarth's, realizing that it'd been there when they first showed up. She laughed uneasily as she walked up the stairs. "Ha. No, and thank you."

Alice went inside and Hogarth stood before the stairs, looking up at Dean with his hands in his pockets. They didn't say anything to each other but Hogarth could tell he was disappointed. So, he decided to head up the stairs and attempt to make it past Dean. "Got dark fast, huh?" He said as he was just about to pass his step-father.

"Hold on there." Dean said sternly, grabbing Hogarth's shoulder. He faced Hogarth, "You can't go running off like that, understand?"

Hogarth rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"No." Dean told him, shaking his head.

Hogarth looked up in confusion. He'd never heard Dean sound so serious.

"You don't understand."

"Well, neither do you!" Hogarth shot back, suddenly angry. Richard was being a consistent jerk and he wanted to walk away. His mother and Dean knew he liked to escape to the woods when he was upset. Why was this new?

Dean's face went blank for a spilt-second before he quickly composed himself. Hogarth hadn't lashed out at him before. At least not like this. He was a good kid, after all. Then he frowned, remembering that he couldn't let it slip. He was still his friend, like many years ago, but now he was also his parent. "Hey, calm down."

Hogarth crossed his arms, taking a step back from Dean. "Well, you don't. You never have."

Dean sighed, "If this is about the Giant, then-"

"Then what? Are you going to give me another one of those talks? You know, the one telling me to just _forget about him_?" Hogarth snapped. "It still won't change the fact that you don't understand! And that you never will, no matter how many times you try to!"

"Hogarth, you took some girl in the woods! You left all of your friends behind here! We were all worried sick about you. That's something that you won't understand until your own kid runs off." Dean told him, trying to sound composed.

"Run off? What?" Hogarth demanded, throwing his hands up in the air. In that back of his mind, he thought of his mother coming through the door and getting onto him, but he didn't care. Instead, he glared at Dean, waiting for him answer.

Dean just stared back at him, crossing his own arms now.

_Ohhh, you have _got_ to be kidding me._

"You know I would never run away. I'm not an inconsiderate idiot." Hogarth said, his voice level with anger.

"You're not an idiot, that's for sure." Dean replied. "But what you did tonight was inconsiderate."

"_No following."_ Hogarth thought of the Giant's face when he'd said that earlier tonight. _That was inconsiderate…_ He caught himself thinking. Then he shook his head, clearing it of his confusing thoughts.

"Oh, gee, thanks!" Hogarth yelled back, knowing that surely now people would be able to hear their argument. "That means a lot to me, Dean! It's not like that was inconsiderate either!"

Dean gave an exasperated sigh, pointing at Hogarth. "Look, I'm just hoping that maybe if I talked to you realistically, you'd realize how worried we are when you disappear like that. I'm not being inconsiderate."

"And neither am I." A moment of quiet passed between them and Hogarth added, "I'm just tired of everyone not understanding or leaving or…" His voice trailed off and he found himself staring at the wooden floor of the porch.

Dean put his hand on his shoulder. "I know."

Hogarth let out a huff of air and looked up at Dean. He shrugged off his hand and walked over to the door. With his hand on the handle, he said just loud enough for Dean to barely hear him, "No. You don't." Then he went inside the house.

Dean stared at the door for a few moments after Hogarth went inside, remembering how he'd first met the teenager seven years ago. He never thought that some kid with a squirrel would end up making this much of a difference in his life.

* * *

Author's Note: I've noticed a couple of extra reviews (Thank you!) and I just wanted to let you people know that I update once every week. I might do it more than that if I have time, but I just started school so it'll be a bit difficult. But anyhow, I'm still writing some stuff for the story and I have a LONG way to go before this'll be done. So just hang in there! I don't plan on stopping the updates and uploading new chapters!


	11. The Sketchbook

_We could see him tomorrow, if you'd be okay with that?" _

"_Uh, yeah! Sure! I'll just have to ask my parents but I'm sure I'll be able to. I'll call you and tell you."_

Hogarth was laying down on his bed, staring up at his ceiling. His arms were flung out, his feet hovering over the floor.

He fought with Dean and was unsure if it had really ended.

All of his friends left. Richard apologized and they were on good terms again.

His mother gave him a long lecture that he couldn't fight back on because he'd already taken all of his frustration out on Dean. Luckily, he wasn't grounded purely because it was his birthday.

He had a date with Alice.

_He had a date with Alice._

He smiled to himself and looked out the window. He knew the Giant was out there now, and felt the familiar excitement he had every time he would go over to Dean's junkyard when he first discovered the Giant. Now he would get to visit him with the girl he liked.

He was filled to the brim with excitement and didn't feel tired at all. Hogarth glanced over at his clock.

10:18.

_Well, I'm going to be very bored._ He frowned, sitting up in bed. He looked around his room, propped up on his elbows, searching for something to entertain himself with.

_Maybe a book?_

He got up and began searching drawers, looking for anything interesting to read.

_Nope. Nah. That's a boring school book. Oh. Maybe I should turn that in. No-wait…_

He had jerked open one of the drawers and found a black leather book. He smiled to himself and pulled it up from the drawer. "Long time, no see." He said to himself, placing his hand on the cover. It was barely worn, even though Hogarth had handled it countless times. After check out the front and back, he opened the front carefully as if what were inside would spill out.

_Merry Christmas, Hogarth. Now you have a place for all those drawings of yours._

_-Dean_

Now he sulked over the sketchbook.

He remembered this Christmas- it was only three years ago. Hogarth had begun sketching shortly after the Giant showed up and picked up a major interest in it once he'd left. He was pretty good, and Dean was happy to have another artist living in the house. Dean was good at sketching too, but found himself considered an amateur next to some of Hogarth's hard work. He could draw people, objects, but landscapes were his best. In the beginning, the Giant was that main point in all of his sketches where he would usually draw him looming over trees or holding a piece of scrap over a clearing. As time went on, though, he began leaving the Giant out.

_Y'know, I can't even remember what I drew in here first._

He turned the page, feeling the semi-rough texture of the paper.

_Oh, of course. What else would it be?_

A very detailed sketch of the Iron Giant statue stared back at him. Hogarth had wanted to draw something pretty badly after he got the sketchbook but couldn't find anything worth drawing. He ended up at the park with Richard a month after he got it (he carried it around everywhere with him after Dean told him it might not be a bad idea, "You never know when inspiration is gonna strike.") and ended up sitting in front of the statue while Richard complained about not doing anything except for watching his friend doodle for an hour.

Soon the statue would just be in memory of what had happened that day, not of the Giant as well.

_I wonder what the last sketch I did was._

He flipped to the back of the book and began searching. Finally, he came across a rather embarrassing sketch. It was Alice, and it was obviously a long time ago. Her hair was at least six inches shorter, almost up to her shoulders, and she wasn't wearing a head band. Instead, it was split over to the right side of her face. It was pretty good, but almost useless now. He'd planned on giving it to her and telling her how he felt, but never got the nerve to.

He stared at it though, knowing that his crush was finally recognizing him as a person. Not just as her-cousin's-friend. He found himself grinning again and tearing out the sketch. He folded it up and put it back in the drawer. _For safekeeping._

Digging through the bottom of the drawer, he picked up a few of the charcoal pencils he'd also gotten the same Christmas. "Guess, I'll just pick back up on this." He said to the pencils in his hand.

But just as he said that, a low-sound erupted from his window. No, not his window. The woods outside his window.

_What the hell?_

He made his way over to the window, sketchbook and pencils still clutched in his hands. He peered out, somewhat expecting to see the Giant looking back at him from a far distance in the woods.

There was nothing.

"Hmph." He said. Leaning forward, he put all of his loot in one hand and lifted the window with the other. It was a bit of a struggle but once it was open, he stuck his head out. "Giant?" he whispered.

The trees shook far away, very _very_ far away. Farther than where the Giant would be. Suddenly something dark rose up from the trees and began moving to the left.

_Oh. _Hogarth thought. _Giant probably saw something and followed it back there. _He smirked, bringing his head back through the window and shutting it. He watched the figure for another moment before sitting on his bed. He didn't need inspiration this time.


	12. Red Converse

"Hogarth!"

Suddenly Hogarth jerked and woke, his eyes opening and then shutting quickly. Someone had turned the light on in his room and it sent shots of pain through his eyes.

He found his mother standing in his doorway, an expectant look on her face. "One of your friends is here."

_Alice!_

"Oh my God, I completely forgot!" Hogarth shouted, sitting up in his bed. His head spun with sleepiness but he shook it off as he tossed the covers off of himself. He looked at his mom once he was on his feet and found her smiling at his rumpled sheets.

"You're sketching again." She said, gesturing.

Hogarth turned and saw the many scattered pencils and sketch book laying on the bed like an artistic battleground. "Oh. Yeah. I am." He looked back at his mother. "I need to change. Can you tell Alice I'll be down in a little while?"

His mother nodded, smiling again. "Yes, I'll tell _Alice _that you'll be down soon. Just keep in mind you're kind of on thin ice after that little argument last night." Hogarth winced as his mother turned to shut the door. "Tread lightly." She told him before closing the door.

Hogarth sighed, burying his face in his hands. He did feel a little terrible for yelling at Dean last night. But somehow it felt justified to him. Hasn't he dealt with being treated like a naïve child long enough?

Oh, and the Giant! The Giant was back! That's why Alice was here…

And then Hogarth would have to tell his mom and Dean what was going on. That, however, was not going to be particularly enjoyable.

He grumbled to himself many different scenarios as he changed. He was about to tug on his worn red converse that were haphazardly throw under the bed (not the same ones from when he'd first met the Giant, he'd outgrown those and got a new pair a couple of years ago) when he noticed a box tied with a red ribbon next to them.

_What?_

He cautiously placed his old shoes on the floor in front of him, reaching underneath the bed to pull out this mysterious box. Pulling it onto his lap, he realized there was a note tied to the end of the ribbon. He yanked it off and unfolded it.

_Hey, kid. Quite a night last night, huh? I'm sorry about calling you inconsiderate. And you should never forget the Giant. He meant a lot to you._

_But I still don't want you scaring us like that. _

_Your mother and I both know that you tend to blow off steam by taking a walk in the woods, though, and we'll be happy to let you go if you tell us first. We just want you to be safe._

_Hope you can forgive me._

_-Dean_

_P.S. Happy 16__th__ and enjoy whatever's in this box._

Hogarth frowned, folding it back up. Of course Dean cared. Of course his mom cared. They had a right to. But, somehow, the argument seemed necessary. Wasn't it? After all, Hogarth had bottled so much up in the past few years and last night seemed like a great way to let off some steam. And he knew that he was bound to get into a fight-no, not a fight. It was definitely an argument. Nothing more than that. Either way, it was bound to happen at some point. Otherwise, he and Dean would be way worse off later on.

He sighed, putting the note in his pocket and untying the bow. He opened the box up and was revealed to a brand new pair of converse. He smiled to himself, remembering to thank his mother and Dean. Picking one of them up, he noticed white stitching in the side. On the inner part of the shoes, his initials were hand-stitched in small print near the white rubber of the sneaker. His mother must've done it awhile back. Hogarth appreciated the thought and carefully loosened the laces, slipping them on his feet, and tying them tight. He stood and walked into the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth and messing with his hair.

Alice was waiting for him when he made his way downstairs. She smiled and he saw she was wearing jeans and a white button down shirt with black and white oxfords. Her hair was in it's usually style; her long dark hair trailing down her back with a headband to keep it out of her face. There was something different about her now though.

She was wearing black-framed glasses.

"Oh, hi." Hogarth said. He couldn't help but grin at her somewhat-new appearance.

"Hello." She replied.

Once he joined her, he led her into the kitchen where his parents were. "We're heading out for a bit." Hogarth told them, sliding the note out of his pocket and holding it up. Dean looked up, saw the note, and smiled at him, which Hogarth gladly returned. His mother turned just as Hogarth had placed the note down. She was cooking something savory and it filled the kitchen with it's scent. Bacon, maybe?

"Alright, just don't be out all day. Try and make it back around lunch time."

"Will do." He replied, walking back to the front of the house with Alice in tow.

"Love you!" His mom yelled after him.

"Love you too!"

Dean watched him leave, seeing the new red shoes plain as day as he did so. He heard the front door shut and looked over at his wife. "That's his girl, you know."

She turned and gave Dean a surprised look. "Is she, now?"

"Well, not yet. He likes her."

She smiled to herself and turned back to the stove. "That's nice."


	13. Up?

**ROCKWELL, MAINE 1964 (LATE SEPTEMBER)**

"I'm scared of heights."

"How do you know?"

Alice shied away from the Giant's hand even more, stumbling when her foot came across a rock. Hogarth grabbed onto her arm, trying to steady her. "I just have a feeling." She told him, glaring at him and yanking her arm away.

Hogarth laughed and put his hands up. "Sorry, I just think it's a little weird how you've never experienced being above three stories and you act like it's the end of the world."

"Maybe there's a reason why I've never been above three stories!"

"Have you ever even had the chance to?"

Alice stared at him for a moment before frowning and looking up at the Giant. He smiled down at her as she bit her lip nervously. She switched her gaze back to Hogarth. "Look, it's nothing against the Giant-"

Hogarth rolled his eyes and cut her off, "Then trust me. It's not bad. And he won't let you fall. I won't let you fall either. Just try it." He grabbed her hand and began leading her over to the Giant once more.

"Up?" The Giant managed.

Hogarth nodded proudly, grinning back and forth between him and Alice. "Up. Good. Very good."

The Giant moved his hand closer when Alice became reluctant again. "Hogarth, no."

"Come on Alice."

"Can't we just walk instead?"

"You know, what? You're not gonna do this. And then you're going to think about not doing it later and you're going to regret it. Just trust me. Please."

Alice bit her lip again, gazing up at the Giant. She was shaking a bit and Hogarth noticed.

_Maybe this wasn't the best of ideas._

But just as he was about to tell her that it was fine, she didn't have to, and that they could just walk like she'd said, she gripped his hand. "Okay, fine. Lead the way." Her words were monotone and very blatant.

Hogarth stared at her for a moment, mouth open with impending words.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows, then widened her eyes with eagerness. She nudged him forward. "Go on. Before I change my mind."

Hogarth broke into a grin, practically dragging her over to his unusual friend with excitement. "Just sit down and grab onto his hand. It'll feel weird at first but after a minute, you'll feel just fine."

She glanced back at him before climbing onto the Giant's hand, sitting cross-legged with her arms wrapped around one of his fingers. Hogarth followed, standing instead of sitting, but his arms were also wrapped around one of the fingers. Once he was settled, he looked back up at the Giant with a wide smile. The Giant mustered a smile of his own.

"Up." His deep voiced echoed the earlier conversation.

"Hold on." Hogarth told Alice a second before the Giant's hand began lifting towards the sky.

"OhGodohGodohGod." Alice clung to the Giant's finger, shutting her eyes only to open them a second later.

Then they stopped going up, and were towering over the trees and closer to the sky than they'd ever been.

"Hogarth!" Alice shouted.

Hogarth looked away from the breath-taking fall scenery. Alice was still clinging to the Giant's finger, pale as a ghost and scared to death.

Hogarth stood there for a moment, contemplating what to do. He knew he should comfort her but how? They were up in mid-

"Get down here!" Alice shouted again, taking Hogarth's hand and yanking him down on the Giant's palm.

When he fell next to her, he end up behind her with his legs all bent up. "This is terrifying. How can you like this?" Alice said as she leaned back against him.

His legs were still uncomfortable, so he stuck his left leg out while keeping his right leg crossed. Now Alice leaned against his left knee, still crisscrossing her own legs. Her head rested against his left shoulder and he could smell her faintly, a smokey-yet-floral scent. He smiled to himself before wrapping his arm around her and the other around the Giant's hand. "I dunno, I guess I've always been little crazy."

Alice laughed shakily and nuzzled farther into Hogarth.

_This is how it should be. This is right._

He craned his neck down so it was resting on Alice's shoulder. "Well, I got a laugh out of you. A nervous one, but still, a laugh. I think you're ready for the moving part of this.

"God help me." Alice muttered.

Hogarth smirked, looking back up at the Giant who still watched with patient eyes; he was just happy to be with his old friend. "March!" Hogarth yelled up at him cheerfully.

The Giant looked forward and Alice got closer, laughing with fear and freedom.

It had been a long time since Hogarth had felt so… In place.

Like he belonged for sure.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter! I'm just kinda busy with school work and trying my best to keep up with all this stuff. But I've already started on the next chapter so hopefully that'll be up soon! Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming :D


	14. 586

Surprise, new chapter! I uploaded the chapter previous to this one pretty late so I decided to go on ahead and get out another this week. And I know this is a smaller chapter but, it's got some pretty important content in it. Feeling super creative lately, so my uploads may or may NOT get crazy, meaning more than one upload a week. Guess we'll just have to see! Once again, thanks for the reviews and I look forward to more!

* * *

This being had no feelings. It had no emotions. No attachments. No possessions.

Just one mission.

Take out the Lost One (more formally known as Bot 525). That was the bot's name in this operation. The one that had crash-landed and came in contact with the humans. They thought it'd perished many cyclings ago. But not too long ago, something on the radars back home began blinking, reminding them of the mistake they'd made with the Lost One's programming.

Bot 586 had been sent to track down and demolish the Lost One.

And now it was watching, waiting, completely immersed in the shrill sounds The Lost One's hands made- the humans made. Someone back home was watching, observing what Bot 586 put on display for them.

"_Humans."_ The voice sneered. _"Such wretched things. And they're socializing with our creation. Granted, it's a defective creation that seems to take well with those… disgusting troublemakers."_

Another voice made a grumbling noise. _"Underclass Waileris, hush. I've heard enough of your fits to last a cycling's time. Keep an eye out and don't feel so personal. This Bot can hear every thing you're saying and it may react to a certain keyword."_

There was a pause, and if Bot 586 could have feelings, it would almost feel anger in it. _"Yes, Watcher Dillinge."_

Bot 586 had never met the voices in his head, and he'd only seen a select few of the people that had created him. They were willowy creatures with glowing white skin and hair to match. Their features were all confusingly similar and their eyes were their only source of distinguish-ability. Bright reds, dark greens, startling white, impossibly black. Their eyes could be any color, and each was unique.

These beings though. They were strange without a doubt.

Bot 586 zoomed in, giving the humans a closer look. They were both a light tan and different in height. And their hair was incredibly different. The taller of the two had almost reddish short hair, while the other had long, very dark hair. The one with darker hair had much gentler features than the one with lighter hair. And even their voices were diverse, shouting in a language that was much different than the ones Underclass Waileris and Watcher Dillinge had.

If Bot 586 had any sort of artificial intelligence, it would've been in awe.

And a bit more sympathetic.


	15. Fight without Flight

Once, Richard and Hogarth were out in the yard playing. They were tackling each other for some ball in a pointless game of catch. When Hogarth wrapped his arms around his friend, Richard immediately shifted his weight in an attempt to throw Hogarth to the ground.

Hogarth's grip slipped for a moment but he was able to quickly grab back on, feeling the competitiveness he'd always told his mother and Dean he didn't have.

"Oh, please. I think we all know I'm a total nerd." Hogarth scoffed one evening after his mom had pointed out that she saw he had an edge when playing that very game and said he should join a sport at school.

To be honest, it did seem like an interesting idea. Hogarth could certainly run fast and Alice was in band which would mean she would march at the games he'd play in. But the guys still taunted him, and that was not something he particularly enjoyed.

Except that evening, just as Hogarth grabbed onto Richard again, he realized that something was very different.

And then Richard's elbow jerked back automatically, smashing into Hogarth's nose.

He processed everything, one at a time, piece by piece, working it in slow motion. He felt the warmness of his own blood. Then he tasted it on his upper lip. His vision shimmered, the trees and ground shaking. And then he could smell it, everywhere and nothing else.

Something raced through his veins. Adrenaline? Anger?

Time kicked back in and suddenly Hogarth was numb and vaguely aware of his motions. He made a noise of immense effort and yanked the ball from Richard, so hard that they both fell to the ground, multiple feet away from each other.

"Holy-! Oh my God!" Richard rasped on the ground, the fall knocking the wind out of him. He coughed and tried to lift himself up.

Hogarth rolled over from his place in the dirt. He hadn't had a nosebleed since-

_Don't think about it._

And he didn't.

Instead, he held his hand to his face. He still couldn't feel his nose and that scared him. Wasn't he supposed to feel something? It was bleeding like crazy and it seemed unnatural to not be in pain over it. It was all over his face, his neck, his shirt, his hand.

"Oh God, man." Richard coughed again, tears just barely rimming his dark eyes. "I didn't-I didn't mean to hit you."

Hogarth looked at his friend as he struggled to sit up. Richard's lip was bleeding a little, virtually nothing compared to his nose. "No, it's fine. I just… I can't feel my face."

Richard swore and pulled himself up from the ground, hand gripping his side. He made his way over to Hogarth and held out a hand. "Jeez, man." Richard laughed a bit as Hogarth grabbed his hand, yanking him up. "And I thought I had the upper-hand on that one. My ribs are killing me right now."

"Oh my God! Hogarth!" Dean's voice echoed into the backyard.

_Oh, great._

"What the hell, kid?" Dean rushed into the yard. He was the only one home at the time; his mother was busy at the diner. He caught a glimpse of Richard's face as well. "Oh _what the hell with the both of you_! Your mother is going to kill me, you, all of us! Come on, let's get you two cleaned up the best we can." He began ushering the two young boys inside.

"Dean, I'm fine." Hogarth said, pulling his hand away from his face. Oh God, now the taste of blood was everywhere in his mouth.

Hogarth spat deep red onto the ground as Richard piped up behind him. "Yeah, we're good." Then he looked over at his friend. "Or at least I am."

"Oh, please Rich. Don't flatter yourself, I'm fine." Hogarth leveled a glare at his best friend.

Dean leaned over as they walked up the stairs into the back of the house. "You might have a broken nose, kid."

Hogarth sniffed in response. "I can't even feel it."

His step-father shoved open the door, holding it open so they could file inside. He sighed, "You just wait."

Richard sat at the kitchen table while Dean ran water over a rag and Hogarth stood next to him. "Hold still." Dean said as he wrung it out and held it at the ready over Hogarth's face.

As soon as Dean began pressing the rag on his face, it lit up with pain.

Hogarth squeezed his eyes shut and balled up his hands. "_Oh my God_." He said through grit teeth.

The more Dean rubbed away the blood, the more it hurt.

"C-can you lay off a little? It hurts really bad." Hogarth said, tears in his eyes.

Dean glanced at him before wiping his face again. "I'm barely using force, Hogarth. Just fight the pain. It'll be over soon."

A few minutes went by. Richard just watched with fascination as Dean cleaned up the blood, leaving a deep purple bruise on the right side of Hogarth's nose and cheek. It just barely reached up to his eye, and it was starting to make the squinting just a bit painful.

Hogarth's eyes were completely shut when Dean finally leaned back, bringing the rag off of his face. "Okay, I got it off."

Hogarth sighed with relief and opened his eyes. It was getting incredibly painful now and he was exhausted just from feeling it. "Is it broken?" His voice came out stuffy as his nose was pretty swollen at this point.

Dean smirked, "No, but you still have a pretty nice battle scar to show off."

Richard winced, "I'm really sorry, Hogarth. I seriously didn't mean to hit you."

"Wait, what? Were you two fighting or something?" Dean asked, his tone completely serious.

Hogarth rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. We were messing around and I tackled him and well…"

Dean crossed his arms and sighed. He looked over at Richard. "You okay? You've been breathin' funny."

"I think I bruised my ribs, but that's happened before. I'll be fine really."

"Nothing broken?"

"Most likely not." Richard shrugged.

Dean looked back to Hogarth. "Get upstairs and change your shirt. Your mother will be home soon and I'd rather not try and explain your injury to her while your clothes are still soaked in your own blood." As he said that, he leaned over and threw the bloodied rag in the trash.

"I'll go, too." Richard said, standing from the chair.

"That'd probably be best. Call us when you get home so we know you got there." Dean told him, uncrossing his arms.

Not too shortly after Richard had left, Hogarth's mom came home. Hogarth was still upstairs in a clean shirt, examining the bruise when his mother had called for him downstairs.

"Coming!" Hogarth yelled and began heading downstairs. Just as he reached the stairs, he could hear Dean already trying to reason with his mother.

"There's something a bit… off with Hogarth. You're going to notice and well-"

"What do you mean?" Annie said, tone serious enough to kill.

Dean looked up from his stance in the living room to see Hogarth halfway down the stairs. And then his mother did the same.

Immediately, she reacted.

"Oh my God! What happened to you!" she said, rushing up the stairs and gripping his shoulders. She gently grabbed his chin, turning his face this way and that. "Oh my God!" She said again. "Did someone hit you?"

"Ow." He winced and his mother's hand fell from his face. "Uh, yeah. Richard. We were just messing around and-"

"And _he hit you?_ On purpose?"

"No! No, not on purpose! It was an accident! I tackled him and he threw his arm back and hit me! He didn't mean to!" Hogarth said, tossing his hands in the air. "I'm fine. It's just a bruise."

She frowned and Dean laughed uneasily behind her. "Don't worry, Annie. He threw the kid for a loop when he shoved him to the ground."

Her mouth dropped. "You hit him back?"

"No! I didn't mean to do that either! I kinda fell on him." Hogarth lied. Actually, now that he thought about it, he realized that he intended to hurt Richard. Whatever happened when Rich slammed into his nose, it caused him to react without really thinking. With a sickening feeling, he realized that the reasoning behind hurting his best friend was wanting to get even for him hitting him first. And soon after that, he thought that maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. What was that called? A defense mechanism. And he truly felt sorry for hurting Richard as well. So, really, it wasn't as bad as everyone seemed to think.

Annie frowned and hugged her son. "Okay, okay. I'm going to go make some tea. I think we all to need to relax a bit before the night gets any older." She started to turn away but quickly turned back again. She examined the bruise one more time, gingerly turning Hogarth's face in her hand. "It's only your freshman year, young man. No more trouble. Understood?" She had a serious tone again, but she was smiling faintly as she said it.

Hogarth smirked in return, almost a mirror image of his mother's. "Understood."

And now, sitting with Alice and showing her all of his favorite places to be with the Giant, he had a feeling. It was incredibly reminiscent of the quick numbness that came with the blow to his nose two years ago.

"It's beautiful here." Alice breathed, shutting her eyes.

Hogarth smiled, and briefly focused on her and the Giant carrying them.

"Be…" The Giant started. The way the Giant said that one syllable. It sounded so… happy. No that wasn't the word. Something more content. Calm? Either way, the Giant just seemed to be glad to be with his one and only friend. And he seemed to warm up to Alice just fine.

"Beautiful is right." Hogarth said to the Giant.

The feeling remained, and deep down he knew he'd do anything to keep things just as they were now; autumn and hopeful, open and free with so many possibilities laid out for Alice, the Giant, and himself.


	16. Kent Mansley

Author's Note: Hello! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been uber busy with school and band and all sorts of fun and stressful activities. Also, I would love to say thanks to the reviews I received recently! I am incredibly flattered and I'm happy that you all like the story so far. Hopefully I will not disappoint! Anyhow, enjoy this new chapter

"What ran off the Giant in the first place?"

Hogarth frowned and readjusted his spot on the ground. They had traveled to Dean's junkyard and we were watching the Giant eat around. Hogarth had never felt more grateful that Dean decided to keep it to work on his art a few years ago when he and his mother had gotten married. Sometimes Dean would stay the weekend and work on stuff. Hogarth used to tag along, but hadn't really done it since he'd started high school. "Uh, well. A whole mess of things."

"A whole mess of things." Alice repeated, braiding her hair to keep herself occupied.

"Yeah, y'know. It was kinda big deal here in Rockwell for awhile."

"I know that much, and I wasn't here so how am I supposed to know?"

Hogarth smirked. "You're not. You know, technically all of what happened is classified?"

"I figured. I didn't really know about it until I got here. People still talked about it though." Alice replied.

"Oh, I know. But thanks to the ingenious of some guy that worked for the government, we could've been in a lot more trouble."

Alice made a face, she'd never heard this part of the story before. It was always just Hogarth and the Giant and their friendship that ended tragically. Or, so they thought.

Hogarth didn't even have to look at Alice to know that what he'd just said threw her off. He never really talked about Kent Mansley, even when he blamed him for everything. Even then, he knew that if he mentioned a word of it to anyone, they'd tell him that the ignorant man was just trying to help people he thought were in danger and overreacted. Of course, that might not be what they believe, but why let a young boy drown in anger when he just "doesn't understand"?

"When someone reported that they'd seen the Giant, they sent someone over here to check it out." Hogarth explained, pausing. He wasn't sure if he should go into more detail or leave it as is.

"Oh." Was all Alice said.

After contemplating his response for a moment or two, he found himself going on, "And he was obsessed with finding the Giant. I mean, crazy obsessed too. He found this picture of him that I had and he threatened me just to get to the Giant." Hogarth recalled to himself the memory of Kent shoving the white cloth in his face, feeling his will and consciousness slip away. He never mentioned that part of the "interrogation" to his mother to save her the grief of knowing that he'd been drugged by somebody she'd willingly let into their home.

"What happened to him after all of this stuff was done with?"

"He was fired, of course." Hogarth said with an uneasy laugh. To be honest, he actually had no idea what exactly happened to Kent Mansley afterwards, other than what he'd just said. He wondered that for awhile and then eventually those thoughts had left his mind altogether. It felt a bit surreal to be digging them back up with the Giant in front of him once again, along with the girl he'd liked for years.

Speaking of which, the sun was bearing down with all it's might by now. As soon as Hogarth realized this, he felt his heart drop with sadness. He had to go back for lunch.

"We need to head back. I'm supposed to have lunch with my parents." He said, getting up and dusting himself off from the pile of junk he'd been crouched on.

A disenchanted look crossed Alice's face, but she still reached out and asked for Hogarth to help her up. Once they were both on their feet, Hogarth told her to wait by the junk pile.

He wanted to do his best at explaining that he was in fact going to be coming back for him.

The Giant was busy eating away all of the scrap (not art) when Hogarth walked up and yelled, "Hey Giant!"

The Giant stopped and turned, looking at his friend. He mustered a smile and leaned forward. "Hooogarth." He reached out his hand, offering transport.

Hogarth laughed and patted his iron finger. "Hold on a minute there, buddy. I've gotta tell you something, okay?"

The Giant's eyes shuttered a bit, and the smile slipped in the least, but he still held his attention on Hogarth.

"You remember how you'd stay here during the day and I'd come back to see you later on?" Hogarth started.

The Giant continued to stare, blinking his huge eyes.

Hogarth sighed, bowing his head and looking at the ground before going on. "I have to do that again. I'm still in school and I won't be able to be with you all the time. Do you understand."

"Staaay. Waaait." The Giant said, frowning now. He'd waited so long for Hogarth. He'd felt so alone the night before, knowing Hogarth was out there somewhere but he couldn't see him. It was bittersweet; to find a disappearing friend.

Now Hogarth's mouth quirked down. "Yeah. I promise I'll come back. I mean, I came back today right?"

The Giant's jaw came up a bit, and a slight smile appeared. "Back."

Hogarth brought his face up, his expression a reflection of the Giant's. He threw a glance over his shoulder, looking at Alice who sat patiently.

"Back." Hogarth said.


End file.
